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Analysis from pro-Brexit group Facts4EU has shown the major gulf within the bloc’s funding for nations on funding, with France receiving around two-and-a-half-times as much money from Brussels than the UK for farming. France, which is the bloc’s second richest economy, has been protective over the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which Facts4EU argues is because it continues to be the biggest beneficiary of the subsidies handed out for farming. Across the past 10 years, the bloc has given around 40 percent of its budget to CAP projects, and according to European Commission data released last month, in 2019 this worked out at around €54.5billion (£48.8billion).

Of that, France – which Facts4EU claims has a slightly smaller economy than the UK, received €9.4billion (£8.4billion), while Britain collected just €3.9 billion (£3.4billion).

When assessed across the budget in 2019, this equates to around one-sixth of the money set aside – despite there being 27 EU member states.

Following its analysis, the website explained: “By contrast, for years we have seen, heard and read Remainer-Rejoiner politicians and commentators in the UK on a daily basis, talking about what they think the EU is and does.

“They present a happy valley where ‘all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds’, as the French philosopher Voltaire had it.

“Alas, they are all sadly deluded.”

It adds: “What justification can you think of, for why France should receive by far the largest agricultural and rural subsidies in the EU?

“Come to that, what justification can you think of for any agricultural subsidies to be collected and distributed by the EU at all?

“If countries like France want to subsidise their agriculture and their rural economies, (something which the British government will do post-Brexit), let them do it themselves.”

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Other nations ahead of the UK in terms of funding, include Spain, Germany and Poland.

In a 2017 report the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales found that agriculture contributed around £24billion of revenues and around £8.5billion of Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2015.

It added that the industry at the time provided around 475,000 jobs, while supporting an additional 30,000 jobs through procurement activity.

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The UK formally left the EU on January 31 yet continued to receive funding up until that point, and continued to contribute financially.

Since leaving, the UK has been in tense negotiations with the EU over trade.

The main sticking point appears to be on fishing, with the UK wanting to take back control of its own waters, while the EU refuses to budge on the issue.

If no deal is reached by December 31, the UK will leave the single market and enjoy World Trade Organisation terms with the bloc.

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